


I always come back for believers

by nutmeg223344



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: A fabulous dog, A lot of 'wow he's hot', Alternate Hiccup, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Jack, Dog Toothless because why not, Fluff, Hiccup is HTTYD2 age, It's cold and Hiccup is done, M/M, Magic, Meet-Cute, because damn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-27 00:18:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8380093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nutmeg223344/pseuds/nutmeg223344
Summary: Hiccup is cold. He sees a mysterious boy frolicking with his dog. Fluff ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So wuddup   
> This is my first fic I'm actually publishing, so... here have a thing  
> I was tired and the plot bunnies invaded, here is the result.

Hiccup shivered in the freezing night air, stamping his foot slightly in a vain attempt to regain feeling in it as he walked along the dark, quiet street. No lights were on in the houses surrounding them, the stars were twinkling and there was a full moon hanging in the sky. The atmosphere was peaceful, but Hiccup was finding it hard to enjoy with his dog, Toothless, pulling him so energetically forward.

Hiccup clutched the leash and pulled his brown fur coat tighter around him with his other hand, attempting to warm himself up. If it had been his choice, he would not be out here at all, but Toothless had been incredibly energetic all day due to the accidental consumption of caffeine pills, and this was the only way he could possibly calm down.

Toothless barked happily, pulling Hiccup forward as his jet black tail waggled enthusiastically, his green eyes looking back as though to say _Come on! Hurry up!_

"Alright, Alright." Hiccup sighed, his breath coming out in puffs of white fog in the glacial air, and he increased his pace, thankful that only one of his feet was capable of feeling the cold. His prosthetic foot - designed by himself at Engineering college - made a slight _chink!_ noise every time he set it down on the pavement.

He hated winter.

Soon enough, they reached the park. Hiccup sat down on a bench and bent down to let Toothless off the leash, laughing softly as he barked in gratitude and licked his master's hand before darting off into the trees.

Sometimes, Hiccup wondered about Toothless' intelligence. He had always known that his dog was cleverer than average for his species, but it made him smile thinking about how Toothless seemed so human-like in brief seconds, Hiccup could practically hear him talking.

Hiccup sighed and leaned back, staring up into the tree above him. It was bare, having lost all its leaves a month ago, but the branches were thick and strong, the knotted wood telling Hiccup that this tree had seen a lot. Looking down at the trunk, Hiccup saw that the tree had already become victim to oblivious couples carving their names into it. He scowled. He didn't think the tree much liked being permanently marked with ' _Eddie + Martha 4 evs'._

Just then, there was a sudden movement ahead of him. Hiccup looked around and saw... a very odd sight.

Toothless was running around in a space clear of trees ahead. He was looking back over his shoulder, barking happily, rolling around. And frolicking around with him was a boy.

This boy was _extraordinary_ looking. He was wearing a blue hoodie that sparkled with a strange, glittery substance on its shoulders, and brown leggings that were tied to his calves with rope. He wore no shoes.  
But the most incredible thing about this boy was his hair. It was a shocking, blinding white, much whiter and purer than the snow on the ground, and in the darkness it seemed to draw his eyes.

The boy was chasing after Toothless, pulling faces at him playfully and darting around with _incredible_ agility as the dog rolled and jumped after him, almost as though the wind was carrying him. As Hiccup watched, the boy dived on Toothless, and they rolled around in the snowy grass, Toothless batting at the boy's hair as he laughed openly.

Hiccup was completely taken aback by this sight. He had never seen someone who was so prepared to throw away his dignity and just openly enjoy himself. Even if it was very late at night and no-one else was around, it was a strange and beautiful change to the usual norm of hiding behind yourself and not letting anyone see you. This boy was just so, openly, himself.

Or maybe... he didn't know that someone else was there.

This thought was incredibly distressing to Hiccup, and he began to panic. If he called Toothless back, the boy would know Hiccup had been there. If he didn't, the boy could spot him, which means he would know that Hiccup had been there, and had not wanted to call his dog back.

Well, if it had been Hiccup, he would have preferred to know.

Hiccup put his pinkies in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Toothless whined slightly at the sound, but nudged a final farewell at the boy's leg and returned to Hiccup's side nonetheless.

The boy stood up and sighed, his shoulders visibly slumping as he put one hand in his hoodie pocket, the other hand reaching to a nearby tree to pick up what looked like a shepherd's staff, also glittering with the same sparkle as his shoulders. Hiccup could see he was about to leave, and in his panic, he did something very stupid.

He called out.

"Hello."

The boy turned around sharply, and although Hiccup couldn't see his face very well, he could tell that the boy was shocked.

He began to walk towards the bench, towards _him_ , and Hiccup felt nerves grip him. What was the boy going to say? Would he be angry?

But what the boy did say was very different to what Hiccup had been expecting.

"Can you... see me?"

His voice was tentative, unsure.

Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Of course I can see you. Why wouldn't I be able to see you?"

The boy looked properly into Hiccup's face, and a grin lit up his features.

Hiccup swallowed.

Now that the boy was closer, Hiccup could see the details of his face and _oh my goodness he was gorgeous._ He didn't look much older than Hiccup himself, with pale skin, an angular, defined face with prominent cheekbones, a small nose and thin lips. His white hair was tousled and messy, a few locks of it falling over his face. But his eyes were what drew Hiccup in. They were a bright, icy blue, the edges of them ringed with a darker cerulean, framed by long, thick white eyelashes that told Hiccup that his hair colour was natural. The boy's eyes glimmered with a particular kind of light, dancing playfully despite the darkness of the night.

+++  


Jack had been having a normal day. He had been on duty, sprinkling the tops of the trees with frost as usual, when a bark had made him look down, and to his utter shock, he had seen a dog, _staring straight at him._

Jack had encountered animals that could see him before, but it was incredibly rare. Usually, only the most intelligent creatures could, because they had to have a vague form of imagination in order to detect his presence. And so when this dog decided it would be a good idea to bark at Jack as though his life depended on it, Jack decided that duties could wait.

Diving down, he had begun to play with the dog, running around as it chased enthusiastically after him, pulling faces at it and laughing. The cold ground had no effect on his bare feet as he dived at the dog, tackling it as he rolled around, fighting playfully with it, revelling in the fact that something could see him, discern him, make contact with him in any way.

But just then, a shrill whistle cut the night. Jack sighed in disappointment as the dog nudged him gently before running off. It was obvious that the owner had been alarmed at the sight of their dog apparently playing with nothing, and Jack wasn't surprised. He reached out and grabbed his staff from where he'd left it, lying against a tree, and was about to fly away when he heard a soft voice behind him.

"Hello."

Jack turned in shock. There was no way that voice had been meant for him.

But even so, as he turned, he saw the dog he had been playing with sitting dutifully next to a boy of about seventeen sitting on a nearby bench. The boy was the only person in sight, it was clear he was the one who had spoken.

And the boy was looking right at him.

Jack began to walk towards the bench, and as he did, the boy sitting on it grew clearer.

Jack nearly stopped in his tracks. This boy was _hot_.

He had rumpled brown hair that hung around his face and covered his forehead, and Jack could see two small plaits in it. He had a perfectly round nose, a slight shadow of stubble around his angled jawline and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His eyes were a bright, forest green, a green that would have put the trees around to shame if they had leaves.

As Jack drew nearer, he saw that the beautiful eyes of the stranger really were following him, as if...

"Can you... see me?" Jack asked, uncertainly.

The boy looked surprised. "Of course I can see you. Why wouldn't I be able to see you?"

Jack grinned. "No - no reason." he muttered, sitting down beside the boy. "I'm Jack."

+++

Hiccup smiled. 'Jack' seemed to fit this boy perfectly, from his bare feet to his shit-eating grin.

"Hi." he replied, smiling too. "I'm Hiccup."

Jack's smile widened. He bent down to ruffle Toothless' fur briefly, before sitting back against the bench, arm thrown over the back, looking utterly relaxed.

"I like your dog." Jack said, looking over at him. "What's his name?"

"Toothless."

"Huh. Unusual name for a dog."

"Well, I've had him from a puppy, and when he was about two weeks old he tried to bite me, but his teeth hadn't come through yet. So I called him Toothless. Kinda stuck."

Hiccup sighed and leaned backwards again, looking around. "It's freezing."

"I like it." Jack grinned, drumming his long, pale fingers on his knees. "I hate summer. I love the cold."

"Apparently." said Hiccup dryly, gesturing to Jack's shoulders. Now that they were closer, Hiccup could see that the glittery dust was actually ice, clinging to the fabric. "How have you not died of hypothermia yet?"

The boy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh, I dunno. I've never had an illness because of the cold. I've slept in the snow before."

Hiccup gaped. "That's impossible. You should definitely be dead."

Jack leaned back on the bench, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the moon. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Hiccup smiled a little wider.

Just then, Jack's bleary gazing at the moon became more focused. He stared up at it for a few seconds as though it was talking to him, before he nodded and stood up, picking up his staff.

"Where are you going?" Hiccup asked, trying not to sound too desperate. He had been enjoying Jack's company.

"Manny just told me I need to go."

Hiccup had no idea what this meant, but nodded slightly.

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course." Jack nodded. He began to walk into the trees, calling over his shoulder. "I always come back for believers."

And to Hiccup's utter amazement, Jack flew - _literally flew_ \- up into the air, giving him a two-fingered salute before zooming off in the direction of the moon.

Hiccup didn't tell anyone about the magical flying boy he had seen that night. He knew his friends and family would dismiss him as a fantasy. But in his heart, he knew it had been entirely real.

He knew that he had seen Jack Frost that night.

As the snow continued to fall outside Hiccup's window three weeks later, he knew he was seeing him again as a figure darted across the sky.

Without hesitating, he opened his window and yelled out into the freezing air.

"JACK!"

And as Jack approached, his shit-eating grin visible even from this distance, Hiccup thought that maybe winter wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
